As you may have heard, Michelle Obama recently wore a red Alexander McQueen evening gown to a state dinner held in honor of the Chinese president, Hu Jintao. This apparently made a lot of people very unhappy.

Independent-minded designer Isabel Toledo was widely known in fashion before Michelle Obama wore one of her ensembles on inauguration day, but it was probably the latter event that made Toledo enough of a "name" to warrant a collection for Payless.

• This makes so much sense! Levi's sizing system is now taking into account one very important metric: your ass. Because bodies are three-dimensional, and sometimes people with the same measurements are very different shapes.

• Naomi Campbell, Iman, and Liya Kebede grace the cover of Essence's 40th anniversary September issue. [Fashion Bomb Daily]
• Two retail bigwigs got into a wee fight about how much of Martha Stewart's products they each sell. [P6]

• Tyra Banks has signed a deal to write three YA novels that will marry modeling with Harry Potter — the protagonist having been accepted into an academy for "intoxibellas," or supermodels-in-training who "harbor unknown powers." What, no vampires? [Galleycat]

• The inquest into Alexander McQueen's death has revealed that before he hanged himself, the designer took a lethal quantity of cocaine, as well as tranquilizers and sleeping pills. He also slit his wrists. He left a note, which read:

• Pictures of a 15-year-old Angelina Jolie modeling for photographer Harry Langdon will be auctioned in California on Friday. [Vogue UK]
• Karl Lagerfeld dressed Simone Veil in Chanel for her induction into the Académie Française. [WWD]

Last night's episode was the one I've been waiting for. Thinking outside the box! Using nontraditional materials! Making models look like half-naked '60s go-go girl Barbie dolls!

Charles Kleibacker, a master of bias construction who worked at Lanvin before founding his own label, has died. Isabel Toledo called Kleibacker — one of the first American designers who didn't copy Europeans — "a gift, a treasure." [ColumbusDispatch, WWD]

Isabel is a name fit for a queen — and she expects to be treated like one.

• Stella McCartney's fall ad campaign makes a Bambijoke out of all that nature imagery that suddenly became hip over the past few years. For everyone who's ever considered an ironic taxidermy at a bar and concluded, "Why?" [WWD]

• Kylie Minogue was in Jean Paul Gaultier's front row yesterday because she's looking for outfits for her American tour, which kicks off in October. Might we suggest this? [Elle UK]

Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit is on display for the first time! Obviously, we had to go see it.

• Helena Christensen is one of the many hailing British Vogue's Alexandra Shulman. "Obviously I am of the same belief," said the supermodel photographer. "Aren't we in a business that is supposed to explore all kinds of shapes and silhouettes?" [WWD]

• British Marie Claire cover star Brüno gave the magazine a scintillating interview. On Naomi Campbell,: "She's amazing — twenty years in ze business und all ze pressure und fame hasn't changed her a bit — she's remained a total bitch."

• Funny, this picture of Amy Winehouse looking "healthy and stylish" still looks off. British label PPQ is bringing the troubled singer's long-rumored fashion line to fruition — if you count PPQ "providing all materials and doing the design," as anything like having your own collection. [This is London]

• Victoria Beckham reportedly owns 100 Birkins, with a $2 million value. Although Posh's penchant for the carryalls isn't in question, we do nonetheless note this story has two pictures of her holding Kellys. [Daily Mail]

• Vogue subscribers are lured with a free-gift gimmick that looks...different when it comes in the mail. Of course, subscribing to Vogue is basically scheduling disappointment monthly, but the bait-and-switch is not normally so overt. [NYPost]